When Google threatened to quit China, most of the focus was on human rights and the country's extensive system of internet censorship, the Great Firewall. China rebuffed such criticism. Countries that censor political speech on the internet are quick to point out that ­western nations also have laws governing content online, some of it political. Germany bans ­neo-Nazi symbols on German internet sites. The state of South Australia recently attempted to ban anonymous political speech online in the lead-up to elections. China said it was its sovereign right to set limits on internet activities. However, less attention was paid to Google's claims that hackers had also stolen corporate secrets in addition to targeting human rights activists.

Companies doing business in China have long faced brazen attempts to steal corporate secrets. The lure of the riches that China promises has bought silence in the corporate world. That silence made Google's announcement stand out. If China claims its extensive censorship of the internet in its borders is its sovereign right, it cannot lecture the rest of the world on respecting its laws while evidence mounts that foreign companies face sophisticated attempts to steal their secrets.